There is no dramatic background story of our airplane wreck in Turkey. It served as a transporter for parachutists in the Turkish air force, and was donated to local dive centers after retirement to act as new artificial reef, and as a new dive attraction, of course. The sinking of the airplane at its final resting place happened on July 1st 2009 and was performed so smoothly that the DC3 lays now fully intact on the sandy seabed. It appears like it is just getting ready for its next take off ;-)

There is not much around the wreck, only sand and a little sea grass. This “isolation”, however, boots the visual effect when approaching: when swimming to it, you first see only a dark shadow; the closer you get, it turns more and more into a huge plane.

The engines, wings, cockpit, rudder and landing gear are all intact. A big door at the main hull, where the parachuters used to jump off the plane, provides access to the inside of the “Dakota”. The main cabin is quite empty but if you swim to the direction of the cockpit you can explore the working place of the navigation officer and the cockpit itself. There are lots of details to explore in the cockpit, and you'll get an idea about working places of pilots 78 years ago – almost back to the roots of aviation.

Short tips for diving the DC3:
The wreck is a popular spot for afternoon dives, meaning it can be a little crowded with divers there. Better check with the dive center whether they do morning dives there. The light is way better in the morning hours too.
Be careful if you want to penetrate the wreck. It is very narrow in there, especially in the cockpit. If you have claustrophobia or are not certified for wreck diving: better stay out.
Always check that the cabin is empty before swimming in. There is only room for 2 divers at a time. You might find a diving torch useful too.
Once you've discovered everything of the wreck but still have dive time remaining, check the sandy ground around it very closely. There are plenty of shrimp gobies around. Plan B: Follow the direction of the left wing for around 30 meters and look out for barracudas in the blue.